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The Character and Creature Building System (CCBS)


fishers64

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For reference, this is the building system that is present in all of the Hero Factory action figure models and the constraction figure lines of the Legends of Chima. Because of that, I think this topic goes here. (Also because it's general Lego themed and there's a new constraction figure line coming in 2015, etc. :shrugs:)

 

What do you think of the Character and Creature Building System in general? How do you think Lego has been making use of it? What new things would you like to see out of it?

 

Personally I think the CCBS has been, up to now, largely underutilized. While Lego should not do everything the CCBS has to offer - IMO there should be room for MOCs, after all - mostly I've seen a large amount of humanoid sets come out of it. I think there is a lot of potential for large models that hasn't been tested. (I haven't had the time and the parts/money to test it, much as I want to.) To a degree I feel that the CCBS has been an excuse for releasing multiple waves of generic humanoids (I applaud IFB for stepping out of the mold). 

 

But I don't think there's anything wrong with the building system itself. I was able to sit down with a lower-price-point HF set and get like 5 MoCs out of it, so I think it's an innovative step that TLG definitely should have gone for. I also think that the system has great potential for Technic integration that so far hasn't been touched, even with existing parts (although I complain that the ball joints can be annoying in this regard). But the way they use it in the snap together format almost makes using Technic feel like using illegal connections, even though the torsos and some of the limbs notoriously have Technic pinholes (and some sets even use them).  

 

Anyway, enough rambling from me. What do you think?

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I voted option three. I wouldn't say I'm indifferent to it, just that it doesn't have the right creative potential for me. The most frequently used connection point, the ball joint, means the most common connections are either limbs or shells being snapped together in a limited amount of positions. That's all fine and dandy, but there's still a limit to compatibility with system and even other technic that presents itself with that. It also leads to most sets being made with it having a tendency to blend into each other as this sort of blur of similar builds.

 

Another thing that might be behind that, and one thing I think needs to go, is the large, monopiece torsos. That is the single biggest obstacle to building creative non-humanoid builds with this system. The torsos are designed with the intent of making humanoids, so they have four places for limbs to attach, with the shoulders being wider than the hips, and the overall arrangement primarily benefiting vertical humanoid builds. This is part of what made Dragon Bolt's proportions so hideous, and why the Savage Planet creatures had a tendency to look more like crouching furries than creatures (with the exception of Scorpio, who used multiple torso pieces linked to break away from that general design.) I think having more complexity to the torso, with many different pieces for hips, shoulders, etc. would help make it much more suited to a wider range of builds.

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Well, I'd say it's not as flexible as Bionicle's system, but I've seen too many amazing HF MOCs to mean it. Still, it's hard for most builders to catch on to after building with Technic's pins and axles and suddenly transitioning to sockets and balls. It takes a whole new mindset to build a torso that has all the right ball joints in all the right places to get the armoring you want when with Bionicle, you just had to put together an elaborate Technic mess that is covered by your armor. Both are tricky, and I'm just figuring out the Technic stuff to a reasonable extent. I haven't had the motivation to do much with Hero Factory. Still, when it is combined with the old pieces, combining Technic's wide array of pieces with Hero Factory's smoothness and lovely small limb pieces (especially the 3-length double socket), the results can be amazing.

 

Still, with all the amazing potential that Hero Factory offers, Lego is only beginning to scratch the surface with Invasion From Below and builds like Scopio. Part of the problem is that while Technic had decades to add new parts to gather a vast library of pieces that Bionicle was free to use, Lego has practically thrown away all that progress for Hero Factory's system. The pieces are fairly specialized and difficult to use as anything besides limbs or simple supports for armor. As Octodad mentioned, the torsos are the most specialized of all (not that Bionicle was much better). Now, this isn't all Lego's fault. Hero Factory just hasn't been around as long as Technic or Bionicle and hasn't had the same time to develop pieces that make more interesting designs and have greater possibilities. I really hope this new line (possibly Bionicle) will give us brand new pieces, like Octodad's multi-section torsos that can be reconfigured to suit a variety of body shapes (just imagine two halves in 3, 5, and 7 lengths that can be matched to make slim bodies, large, square creature bodies, or clever limb pieces). Until we get some new pieces, I still am not a huge fan of the system. I voted "Unsure" though, because it still does have potential.

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I like it. Not only has it opened the door to all kinds of creative builds in sets, but it's helped me reinvent my own building and come up with some MOCs I can truly be proud of. It's a clear evolution of previous constraction building styles, with less of a dependence on Technic but still plenty of opportunity to integrate it into a build. With its various sizes and styles of beams and shells, it just feels like more of a system than the disparate array of parts BIONICLE had. Also, on an aesthetic level, its smooth shapes felt more consistent with basic Technic beams and panels than the elaborate, greebly look that characterized so many BIONICLE parts. The system was very clearly designed with long-term applicability that isn't limited to robotic characters.

 

The building system has also been a fantastic asset when it comes to improving the proportions of models. BIONICLE proportions in its later years tended to be tremendously exaggerated. The new building system basically reverted the basic figure sets to Toa Mata or Toa Nuva proportions while maintaining all the articulation that is characteristic of later Toa Inika builds, and I couldn't be happier with that change. If you wish to build a larger figure, the parts are great for that as well. Beams aren't limited to a small range of sizes or extremely specialized shapes. As the basic building blocks for a set's skeleton, they eschew the specialized detail that characterized Toa Mata, Toa Nuva, or Av-Matoran limbs (or even Toa Metru and Vahki lower limbs) in favor of a simple, functional shape that can be augmented with shells, detail elements, and additional beams or ball cups.

 

Sets have done a great job exploring the building system's potential over the years, but I still think there's all sorts of potential that hasn't been explored. For instance, it would be great to see a vehicle set that makes heavier use of the building system, or a set like this titan MOC I love so much that boasts the size of a set like Witch Doctor, but with a much cleaner and more refined aesthetic and a very solid-looking design. I imagine price is the main thing holding the designers back in that regard, because it's certainly every bit as sturdy as you'd expect an official set to be.

 

Do I think the building system is perfect? Of course not, and I'm sure it will continue to evolve in the future. But it's a great foundation for creative building, and I hope that in some form it will continue to be with us for many years.

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I like it, but I wouldn't without Bionicle and technic pieces to mix it with in MOCs. On its own, it's simply too basic to build with, IMO.

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  • 6 months later...

I can't just say CCBS pieces are good or bad. You see, if you are using CCBS with CCBS, then the pieces would be good, because they're meant to be together, and they can be used to their full potential. But if you're trying to use them with 2001-2010 BIONICLE pieces, then it would be no good.

So the CCBS pieces can be considered good in general.

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I can't just say CCBS pieces are good or bad. You see, if you are using CCBS with CCBS, then the pieces would be good, because they're meant to be together, and they can be used to their full potential. But if you're trying to use them with 2001-2010 BIONICLE pieces, then it would be no good.

So the CCBS pieces can be considered good in general.

Please do not post in topics over sixty days old.

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